These days, the 80s are everywhere again.
Old songs are playing in reels, vintage dresses are coming back, old-school toys are being recreated, and people are talking about the simple life of those days. But whenever we talk about the 80s, there is one thing that should never be left out — the snacks.
Not fancy desserts. Not expensive chocolates. Just small packets of colourful, crunchy and chewy treats that could make a child happy for an entire evening.
And almost every snack had a memory attached to it.
That small, hard jaggery sweet was not something you finished in one bite. You had to keep it in your mouth, slowly letting the sweetness soften. For children, it was almost a little challenge — who could make it last the longest?
The taste of jaggery, coconut and cardamom made it simple, but unforgettable. A tiny Kamarkat could turn a boring walk home from school into something special.
Then there was Elantha Vadai, made from the humble Indian jujube fruit.
It had a flavour that was difficult to describe to someone who had never tried it. Sweet, sour, spicy and salty — all at the same time.
For many children, buying one from a small roadside shop meant carefully holding it in a paper cover and saving it for the walk home. And somehow, the last bite always seemed to disappear too quickly.
Kuchi Mittai was different.
The colourful candy on a stick was almost like a tiny toy and a snack together. Children did not simply eat it; they carried it around, showed it to friends and took their time finishing it.
Simple things really were enough.
And who could forget Kadalai Mittai?
Peanuts held together with jaggery made this little square or rectangular sweet wonderfully crunchy. It was common in small shops, tea stalls and petty kadais, often sitting among several other colourful treats.
For some, the memory is of buying one after school. For others, it may be something an older family member brought home. Either way, the combination of roasted peanuts and jaggery still carries that old-fashioned taste.
Not every 80s snack was sweet.
Murukku had its own place in the kitchen, especially during festivals and family occasions. A large batch would be prepared, cooled and stored in a steel container.
But children rarely waited for tea time.
The moment the container opened, someone would quietly take one. Then another. And before anyone noticed, the carefully stored batch would already be missing a few pieces.
Mixture was almost a snack of its own category.
A little sev, peanuts, fried gram, curry leaves and spices — every handful could be slightly different. One bite might give you peanuts, the next might be mostly sev.
It was the snack that somehow appeared whenever guests arrived.
Tea was poured. The mixture bowl was placed on the table. Conversations started. And the bowl slowly became empty without anyone admitting how much they had eaten.
Then there was Omapodi, with its thin strands and unmistakable omam aroma.
It was light, crispy and easy to eat by the handful. It was also one of those snacks that could quietly become part of another snack — especially mixture.
One small bowl beside a cup of tea could easily become an entire evening snack.
What makes these snacks special today is not only their flavour.
It is the life around them.
The petty shop near the school. Coins carefully counted before buying a favourite snack. A paper packet folded at the top. Sharing one snack with a friend. A grandmother keeping savouries in a steel container. A father bringing home a small packet without being asked.
The snacks were simple. The moments were simple. But perhaps that is exactly why we remember them so clearly.
That is where Grün Gesund fits naturally into these everyday moments. Its Home Grains snacks bring some of those familiar traditional savoury flavours closer to the tea-time memories that many of us grew up with — a small snack, a hot cup of tea, and perhaps one more story from the old days.
Directly sourcing from the farm to your table
Germany: Diedelsheimer Str.75015 Bretten, Germany
Phone: +491608537618
Email: contact.grungesund@gmail.com
India: No 1, Municipal Colony, Pk. Complex, M.C.Road, Thanjavur – 613004
Phone: +91 99521 28164
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